


Winter Tidings

by Emimar



Series: Tolkien Twitter RP Shorts [9]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 02:22:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5357348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emimar/pseuds/Emimar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yule is coming,<br/>'Nough said.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Tidings

He woke up to find that a dusting of snow had covered the ground. Durin's Day has been and gone, Lyndheid had finally given birth to their first child, a daughter and winter had now begun. The celebration of Yule is just around the corner, and it is time to start the preparations. This year will be extra special, because it will be the first Yule when he has a family of his own. With all the recent excitement of Durin's Day and Linny's arrival, he had not had the time to work on gifts as he should have had and time was beginning to run out. Although there had been no problems with the birth itself, things had not gone entirely smoothly because Beyla's boys had fallen sick and she had been absent in the days following their birth. Despite this, however, he'd made the time to make a list of what he wanted to give so at least he had some idea of what he was looking for. Lyndheid was up already and he found her in the kitchen having breakfast which Beyla had made with Linny sleeping after having been given her breakfast in a basket close by her. Beyla and her young lads had recovered from their recent illness and the two dwarflings were out in Lynd's garden entertaining a boisterous Fundin. He nods in greeting to the house-keeper. 

"It is good to see you back, Beyla and your boys appear to be enjoying themselves."

"Aye. It is good to be back, my lord. Your lady was just telling me, over breakfast, of how it happened. Linny is a beautiful lass - it makes me wish Mahal had blessed Lit and I with a daughter, not that I regret having my boys - it's just that the family would be complete. And those boys, they want it to snow heavily so they can build snow-dwarrows and throw snowballs at each other."

He didn't bring himself to comment on the completeness of family, but he understood the sentiment. It had been two years since Beyla's husband had been lost in battle and he shudders to think how close he had come to losing Fili and his uncle. Instead, he focused on a more brighter tone as he went over to the window and looked out at the sky. The clouds appeared heavy and ominous. 

"By the looks of things, your lads may get their wish."

Knowing that this could be the last chance that he had of visiting Dale, he voiced his plans for the day as Beyla fried him up some sausages and bacon, and a couple of pancakes. 

"I am taking the day off from composing and taking a trip into Dale before the bad weather sets in." There was no guarantee that when the bad weather did arrive, how long it would last for and if the paths would remain safe for travelers.

Lyndheid joined him by the window and looked out at the scene. She entwined her fingers with his and glanced up at him worriedly. "I do not like the looks of those clouds, Kili. Be careful and don't linger in Dale longer than you need to."

He hugs her tightly. He couldn't make any promises at how long he would be gone - it is one of those jobs that will take as long as it takes. He couldn't lie to her. 

"I will be back as soon as I am able, love." Looking out at the clouded sky, he hoped that the snow would hold off until he had finished his business in Dale. They stood looking out at the garden until Beyla had finished cooking his breakfast. He took a seat at the table and inquired after Lyndheid's plans for the day. 

She sat down at the table opposite him and gave him a thoughtful look. "I think it is time that I brought Laddie and Mist home today, now that Beyla is back with us, and I am going to take Linny to see Balin. I think he would want to know how things went. Perhaps after that, I shall finish off the Yule decorations I was making with the stones Andvari acquired from the ore merchants," she replied. 

He nods. He had missed those dogs and he had brought Fundin back because he was proving to be too boisterous for the grooms to handle. Now that he was back with his family, the young sheepdog had calmed somewhat, but the grooms had told him that they were having difficulties getting Laddie to eat his food and he spent most of his days laid in the corner of his kennel, only moving when he needed to relieve himself, or when one of the dwarves went to see him. The faithful collie was pining.

"That's a good idea. I know how concerned you've been about him, and really, dogs should be home with their families, not kept away, and the sooner he and Mist are introduced to Linny, the better." He dug into his pancakes and bacon, and drank the hot chocolate that Beyla had prepared. He ate steadily, but as he wanted to be off, he didn't linger over the breakfast table and was soon back in his room getting ready for travel. This was not an official visit, so there was no need for him to be choosy about the clothes he wore. He chose what was warm and practical on the road, but he chose to wear the ring he had with his seal on it so that if he needed to seek assistance, he had the means to prove his identity to the guards of Dale. Even though much had been done to make the roads safe that lay between Erebor and Dale, he was reluctant to take chances and he retrieved his bow, and his sword. He considered taking Loni with him, but he decided that the guard would be better served here, protecting his daughter and his lady. 

Once he was satisfied that he had everything that he needed, he went down to the goat pens and decided to take out Fili's goat, instead of Heidi. The goat proved to be somewhat stubborn, but after some gentle but firm persuasion involving some carrots he was on the road down the mountain.

Cold wind blew into his face, and was harsh enough to cause his eyes to sting and his nose to run. He was glad that he'd had the foresight to wear one of those silly pointed woolen hats which were traditional for dwarves to wear, and a think woolen scarf did the job that his beard would have done, had he had a proper one. But it was an annoyance, too, in that the scarf flapped in the wind, and it threatened to blow his hat away. He did not expect to come across anyone causing trouble because the wind was such a distraction. Fili's goat, bred to withstand the chill winds of the mountain side appeared not to feel the cold, but he wasn't going to take the creature's apparent immunity for granted. Even dwarves could not endure extreme hot and cold for long, and the wind grew stronger the longer they were out. Eventually, Fili's goat bowed his head against the on coming wind and the animal's innate stubbornness served it well. 

By the time he had reached the bottom of the mountain and turned towards Dale, the first icy flurries of snow began to fall, and the wind cut through his traveling clothes like a knife. He began to feel light headed due to the chill that battered him and Fili's goat. His hands and feet became numb with cold even through the thick gloves and fur-lined boots that he wore. It seemed to him that the wind was determined to blast his skin right off. Nausea began to creep in and it was then that he began to wish that he had stayed home with Lynd and his daughter. The snowflakes melted on his coat and it was soon drenched and heavy with moisture. The snowfall grew thicker and what began as a light dusting which settled on the ground soon became an inch or two of snow. He began to question the wisdom of coming out today.

A particularly strong gust of wind blew his hat right off his head and it was gone before he he even knew that it was gone. He was a vary cold, very saturated dwarf by the time he reached the outskirts of Dale and, putting aside the ideas he had for his shopping trip, he headed to a dingy tavern to dry off his clothes and warm himself up. It had a stable where Fili's goat could be stabled, and a sodden dwarrow arriving on an equaly sodden goat drew curious gazes. Once he was satisfied that Fili's goat was in good hands, he entered the tavern's common room and ordered a serving of hot soup from the bar wench and a steaming mug of tea. 

He was weary of letting his identity slip to those around him, a habit he had picked up when the dwarves lived in Ered Luin when they went on journeys to the Shire, Bree, or Dunland. He found a place to sit where he could protect his back by sitting with his back to the wall and facing the door, so that he could keep an eye on anyone who entered. He ate the soup, which had far too many vegetables and not enough meat in it for his taste, but he wasn't eating it for it's nutritional content, more to chase away the chill which had worked its way into his bones. The coal fire that burned along one wall of the tavern did little to warm the common room up as it competed with the drafts coming in through the loose window panes that rattled in the icy wind and underneath the rickety wooden door. The soup and the tea did their job and took off the worst of the chill he felt, but did nothing to dry his hair and his coat and he decided to ask for the availability of a room to rent - he suspected that the weather would only worsen as the day wore on and that he'd best make arrangements for the night.

After finishing his meal, he spoke to the bar wench when she came over to take away the wooden soup bowl about a room for the night. 

"Tha must speak mi boss, duckie." She pointed him in the direction of the well-built innkeeper and he nodded. Her attitude, though friendly, he found a little irritating because it was over friendly, and he wished that he had not come alone without Lynd. He went over to the bar to speak with the innkeeper and negotiated a room, with meals for afternoon, evening and breakfast and care for Fili's goat, paying him a gold coin and a silver piece. He was shown to his room and given a key. Figuring that there wasn't much difference between staying in the inn, and heading out into the markets of Dale, due to the fact that it wasn't exactly warm in the inn, he decided to head out into the markets and do what he came here to do.

He wasn't expecting the market to be particularly busy today because of the weather. The cobble-stones were slick with ice and he was forced to make his way carefully along the street. When he got to the market place, he noted that some particularly considerate individual had cleared away a lot of the snow, and piled it up at intervals against the wall to allow shoppers and carts to get through the streets. There was a noticeable absence of dwarves among the vendors today and it appeared that most of them had stayed behind in Erebor to sell their goods in the markets there. He would have preferred dwarven goods, but if he failed to find what he wanted here, he could always look around Erebor's markets when he got back. 

He wandered around the stalls, many of which were empty. It seemed that the bad weather had kept many of the Daleman merchants away, too. He found a replacement for his lost hat, which he placed on his head, and continued on his search. Pickings were poor and the dreariness reminded him of the day the company had set foot in Lake Town, where everything was damp and dank, including the linens of Bard's home. His old injury twinged in sympathy as the memory of entering Lake Town flashed through his mind. He wrinkled his nose when he passed a store-holder selling fish from the lake and his stomach twinged along with his knee in sympathy. He hurried past the stall, and didn't stop to check his surroundings until he had got upwind of the stall, where the air was clear of the stench of fish. Most of the stalls he saw consisted of food vendors and clothing merchants. It was disappointing in someways because what was on sale was all mundane items, not the sort of thing you would give as a gift to someone. It wasn't like this the last time he had been here, with his mother and Lynd, and he wondered if the bad weather was the cause - it had not stopped snowing since it had started, but the traffic of men and elves going about their business kept the snow from settling in the town. He did worry how he would get back to Erebor. He knew first hand the dangers of snows in winter from living in Ered Luin. 

Disheartened, that he had not been able to find anything remotely suitable, he rounded a corner and stopped stock still when he encountered a shop in one of the buildings which he had not anticipated. A wide grin spread across his face. Yes - that would do. He had seen Oin use such a device once, though the usage of it remained a mystery to him. He went inside the shop and browsed. The shop keeper was in the back and it gave him the opportunity to take in his surroundings. There were many things which caught his eye that he knew would just fascinate his lady and he waited, for the appearance of the shop keeper. After a few minutes, a rather eccentric looking hobbit with a grumpy looking cat in his arms. The cat hissed at him and lept down out of the hobbit's arms. 

"Don't mind Archimedes, there. He's not the friendliest of fellows, master dwarf," he pushed the spectacles he was wearing back up his nose. "How may I help you?"

He looks around the shop, intrigued by the variety of curiosities. The hobbit didn't just sell implements for scientific and herbal study, he also sold other items, which included skulls of various creatures, stones which appeared to have the skeletons of animals and impressions of plants locked inside them. Had they been carved there? If so, the craft-manship of the carver was exemplary, even by dwarvern standards. He indicates the object which had first drawn his attention and inquired about its uses, telling him he had seen a similar device in Oin's office, but wasn't sure of his uses.

"I take it, by your questions that you are unfamiliar of how it works?" the hobbit asked.

He nods. "I do not ask for myself, but for a lady I know who would find a device like this fascinating." 

The hobbit gave him a knowing smile. "A lady friend? I can see by the smile that she brings to your face as you speak of her that she is special to you. It is a microscope. It allows you to look at small things in great detail. Just wait here a moment. I have already got a slide of onion skin prepared."

He frowns, not knowing what the hobbit is talking about. The hobbit disappears into his back room, leaving Kili alone. While he is gone, Kili turns his attention to something he does understand, a boxed selection of different coloured inks with a writing pen. He knows who would like that and makes a note to purchase when the hobbit comes back. The hobbit reapers in a few moments, carrying a candle in one hand, and thin glass slide with a stained piece of onion skin in the other. He places the candle so that the lens focuses the candle light on to the microscope's stage, before placing the onion slide on it. 

"It is only a proto-type, of course," the hobbit murmurs as he looks through the eye-piece on to the slide. "It is difficult to get the slide into focus, and of course, you cannot change the magnification on it, but come! Have a look!" He beckons the dwarf over and stands aside so he can look for himself. The dwarf walks over to the eye-piece and looks into it, unsure what to make of what he sees. 

"There is a book with it of course, explaining how it works so your lady will understand how to use it, and there is some extras she will need - glass slides, dyes to make the details more visible - I can provide all of that!"

He straightens up from looking down the eye-piece. "I shall be happy to purchase everything she needs, and that set of inks over there. You will package the items up well, won't you? I shall need to keep them from getting damaged on my way back home to Erebor."

The hobbit nods. "Of course! My wares getting broken on their way to their new home, will not do at all!" A short time later, Kili is exiting the shop, with a pair of well-cushioned boxes under his arm and a well wrapped book. He knows the book will need to be translated, and he will have to give the Yule present to his One without it, but his main problem now was getting back to the inn without slipping on ice. The roads of Dale, where the snow hadn't completely cleared, or where the snow had melted and the resulting water had formed puddles, were icing over and it was difficult for him to navigate the cobble stones back to the inn. Ironically, once he got out into the wilds, the risk of slipping on ice would be lessened. 

He made it, and after locking the purchases up in his room, he decided to head out again because he felt that if Lynd wasn't able to use the present properly from when he gave it to her, she should have something else to make up for that. But what? 

He walked around Dale for the rest of the afternoon, until the stall holders began to pack up, but no inspiration came to him. With his heart heavy, he returned to the inn and partook of his evening meal, after which he spent a restless night in a cold room. In the morning, he made his way back to the mountain, battling through wind, snow and ice.


End file.
